Sealing member for waterproof connector

ABSTRACT

The sealing member (100) for a waterproof connector has three outward-facing projecting rib parts (106) and three inward-facing projecting rib parts (108). The outward-facing projecting rib parts (106a, 106b, 106c) have substantially the same height, and the projecting rib parts (106a and 106c) on both sides are flexible. The height of the central inward-facing projecting rib part (108b) is lower than the height of the inward-facing projecting rib parts (108a, 108c). The sealing member (100) is mounted on one (male) connector in the area of the inward-facing projecting rib parts (108). This sealing member (100) contacts the other (female) connector (50) in the area of the outward-facing projecting rib parts (106); in this case, the central projecting rib parts 106b, 108b) are displaced downward, and the outward-facing projecting rib parts (106a, 106c) are inclined inward.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a sealing member, and specifically,a sealing member for a waterproof connector which seals connectors toeach other.

Connectors housings are ordinarily waterproofed (sealed to each other)via sealing members. For example, the waterproof connector sealingmember (hereafter referred to simply as a "sealing member") is disclosedin Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-14139. This sealing memberis a frame-form body consisting of an elastic material such as rubber orthe like, and has three projecting ridge parts formed on its outsidesurface, and three projecting ridge parts formed on its inside surface.The projecting ridge parts on the inside surface cover one housing,while the projecting ridge parts on the outside surface are in rubbingcontact with another connector housing, so that a seal is formed. Theprojecting ridge part on the outside surface is formed so that it isthinner than the projecting ridge parts; furthermore, the height of thisprojecting ridge part is greater than the height of the projecting ridgeparts in the shoulder portions of the frame-form body. In this way,deformation of the sealing member due to shrinkage following molding isprevented, so that the sealing characteristics are improved.

In the prior art described above, waterproofing is accomplished bycompressive deformation of the projecting ridge parts. However, unlessthe pressing force used to cause this compressive deformation is large,there is no effect; furthermore, the amount of deformation is small, andgaps tend to be generated. Accordingly, the force required in order toengage the housings with each other is large; furthermore, the sealingmember cannot follow variations in the dimensions of the housings ordeformation of the housings caused by heat, and therefore allows waterto enter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was devised in light of the above points. Theobject of the present invention is to provide a sealing member for awaterproof connector in which the force required in order to engage thehousings is small, and in which waterproof characteristics can bemaintained even in the case of variation in the dimensions of thehousings or deformation of the housings.

The invention is directed to a sealing member for a connector comprisingat least three outward facing projecting ribs and at least three inwardfacing projecting ribs. The inward facing projecting ribs are receivedagainst a sealing surface of the connector. The outward facingprojecting ribs form a seal by making elastic rubbing contact with asecond sealing surface of another connector. The outer most outwardfacing projecting ribs are flexible. The height of the inner inwardfacing projecting rib being lower than the height of the outer inwardfacing projecting ribs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of the sealing member for a waterproofconnector provided by the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional side view along line 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along line 3--3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the sealing member of the presentinvention installed on a male connector, along with a female connector.

FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged sectional view which shows the initialposition in which the side wall contacts the sealing member.

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 5, whichshows a state in which the side wall has been further inserted.

FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 5, whichshows a state in which the connectors are completely engaged with eachother.

FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 5, whichshows the state of the seal in a case where the gap in the seal area islarge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Below, the sealing member for a waterproof connector (hereafter referredto simply as a "sealing member") 100 provided by the present inventionwill be described in detail with reference to the attached figures. FIG.1 illustrates the sealing member 100 of the present invention. Thesealing member 100 is formed from an elastic material such as rubber orthe like, and has a long, slender substantially frame-form shape asshown in FIG. 1. Outward-facing projecting rib parts 106a, 106b and 106cwhich run in the outer circumferential direction are formed on theoutside surface 102 of the web 110, see FIG. 3 of the sealing member100, and inward-facing projecting ribs 108a, 108b and 108c which run inthe inner circumferential direction are formed on the inside surface 104of the web 110 of the sealing member 100. The respective projecting ribparts 106a, 106b, 106c and 108a, 108b, 108c are collectively indicatedby the numbers 106 and 108. The inward-facing projecting rib parts 108are attached to an inside housing 6; the details of this attachment areillustrated in FIG. 4.

Next, as is shown in FIG. 3, the three outward-facing projecting ribparts 106a, 106b and 106c have substantially the same height around theentire circumference of the sealing member 100, and respectiveperpendicular surfaces 112a, 112c and inclined surfaces 114a, 114c areformed on the outward-facing projecting rib parts 106a and 106c locatedon both sides of the sealing member 100. The outward-facing projectingrib part 106b positioned in the approximate center to the inside of theoutward-facing projecting rib parts 106a and 106b has perpendicularsurfaces 112b, 112b on both sides, and extends perpendicularly from theweb 110. The tips of the respective outward-facing projecting rib parts106a, 106b and 106c have curved shapes. Meanwhile, on the inside surface104, inward-facing projecting rib parts 108a, 108b and 108c are formedin positions corresponding to the positions of the outward-facingprojecting rib parts 106a, 106b and 106c. The inward-facing projectingrib parts 108a and 108c have substantially the same height; however, theheight of the inward-facing projecting rib part 108b formed to theinside of the inward-facing projecting rib parts 108a and 108c locatedon both sides i.e., the projecting rib part 108b formed in theapproximate center in the present embodiment, is lower than the heightof the inward-facing projecting rib parts 108a and 108c on both sidesaround the entire circumference of the sealing member 100. It isdesirable that the tips of the respective inward-facing projecting ribparts 108a, 108b and 108c be substantially linear as indicated by lines107a, 107b and 107c in FIG. 2. Furthermore, the recesses indicated by114 in the figures are marks used for positioning by the worker when thesealing member 100 is installed on the inside housing 6 (FIG. 4).

In FIG. 4, a sectional view of the sealing member 100 of the presentinvention installed on a male connector 1 is shown along with a femaleconnector 50. In the present embodiment, the connector housing 2 of themale connector 1 is constructed from an outside housing 4 and an insidehousing 6 which extend in the direction perpendicular to the plane ofthe page. Respective latch arms 8 and engaging holes 10 are installed inthe outside housing 4 and inside housing 6, and the respective housingsare fastened to each other by latch engagement. The sealing member 100is mounted on the carrying surface 12 of the inside housing 6. Theinside housing 6 has a plurality of terminal accommodating passages 18which extend from the rear end surface 14 of the housing 6 to the frontend surface 16; terminals 20 are positioned inside these terminalaccommodating passages 18. In the figures, 22 indicates secondaryanchoring members which are used in order to insure secure attachment ofthe terminals 20. Movement of the sealing member 100 in theforward-rearward direction is restricted by a contact surface 24 facingtoward the front of the outside housing 4, and a rearward-facingretaining surface 28 formed on a flange 26 which is formed on the insidehousing 6. It is clearly shown in the figures that a gap G is formedbetween the inward-facing projecting rib part 108b and the carryingsurface 12.

The connector housing, hereafter referred to simply as a "housing", 52of the female connector 50 is equipped with terminals 58, 58', sidewalls 54, 54' and recesses 56, 56' (formed in the side walls) whichaccommodate the inside housing 6. As is shown in the figures, the frontportions of the side walls 54, 54' are inserted into openings 32 formedin the hood 30 of the outside housing 4, so that the front end portions56 of the side walls 54, 54' are positioned in positions located justprior to the point of contact with the sealing member 100. Next, thestate of contact between the side walls 54, 54' and the sealing member100 will be described referring to FIGS. 5 through 7 in order.Furthermore, since end walls 60 (only one of which is shown in thefigures) which substantially intersect with the side walls 54, 54' arealso constructed in a similar relationship with the side walls 54, 54'(with respect to the sealing member 100), only the side wall 54 will bedescribed here.

FIGS. 5 through 7 are partial enlarged sectional views which show inorder the transition from a state in which the sealing member 100 andside wall 54 initially make contact to a state in which the connectorsare completely engaged with each other. A tapered surface 62 is formedon the undersurface 64 of the side wall 54, and this undersurface 64 andtapered surface 62 press against the outward-facing projecting rib parts106a and 106b. Since the outward-facing projecting rib part 106a isflexible, this outward-facing projecting rib part 106a bends in thedirection of advance of the side wall 54; furthermore, theoutward-facing projecting rib part 106b is pressed in the directionindicated by arrow A, i.e., a direction perpendicular to the directionof insertion of the connector. As the outward-facing projecting rib part106b is pressed in the direction indicated by arrow A, the inward-facingprojecting rib part 108b which is located in a corresponding positionalso moves in the direction indicated by arrow A so that the gap G isblocked. Furthermore, as a result of these central projecting rib parts106b and 108b moving downward (with respect to the figures), arotational moment indicated by arrow d is generated about theinward-facing projecting rib part 108c, so that the tip portion 120 ofthe outward-facing projecting rib part 106c begins to incline toward theinside, i.e., toward the central outward-facing projecting rib part106b. In the case of the outward-facing projecting rib part 106a, therotational moment indicated by arrow d' causes the outward-facingprojecting rib part 106a to incline even further.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the side wall 54 has been inserted evenfurther, so that the undersurface 64 of the side wall 54 has contactedall of the outward-facing projecting rib parts 106a, 106b and 106c.Here, the central outward-facing projecting rib part 106b compressedfurther downward by the undersurface 64, and the outward-facingprojecting rib part 106c is similarly pressed downward while contactingthe undersurface 64 in an even more inclined state. In this case, therespective tip ends of the inward-facing projecting rib parts 108 arepressed against the carrying surface 12, and are tightly sealed with thecarrying surface 12 by small-area contact surfaces.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the side wall shown in FIG. 6 has beeninserted even further so that the connectors are completely engaged witheach other. In this state, a waterproof seal between the femaleconnector 50 and the male connector 1 is formed by the side wall 54 andthe carrying surface 12 of the inside housing 6. This waterproof seal isformed mainly by the central outward-facing and inward-facing projectingrib parts 106b and 108b; the adjacent outward-facing projecting ribparts 106a and 106c and inward-facing projecting rib parts 108a and 108cact to reinforce this waterproofing function. Since the outward-facingprojecting rib parts 106a and 106c are flexible, the side wall 54 can beinserted using a relatively small engaging force. Furthermore, even ifthere should be some variation in the dimensions of the housing 52 orinside housing 6, or if the gap h between the side wall 54 and thecarrying surface 12 should deviate from the prescribed dimension due tothermal deformation, the outward-facing projecting rib parts 106a and106c can conform to such deviations so that there is no loss ofwaterproofing function.

For example, even in a case where the gap h is enlarged to form a gaph', as shown in FIG. 8, the vertical displacement of the centraloutward-facing projecting rib part 106b is large, and the outward-facingprojecting rib parts 106a and 106c tend to bend because of theirflexibility, and are caused to rise outward by this elastic force;accordingly, there is no separation from the undersurface 64 of the sidewall 54, and the waterproofing function can be maintained. Accordingly,in the case of a gap h which is the same as in a conventional device,high sealing properties with a sufficient margin can be obtained.Furthermore, since the outward-facing projecting rib parts 106a and 106care inclined inward toward each other, even if water should somehowenter from one side and pass around the central outward-facingprojecting rib part 106b, it is difficult for this water to pass beyondthe other outward-facing projecting rib part on the opposite side.Specifically, in cases where water pressure is applied to this otheroutward-facing projecting rib part from the inside, a force whichpresses the outward-facing projecting rib part against the side wall 54acts so that even stronger contact is maintained between theoutward-facing projecting rib part and the side wall 54, thus making itdifficult for water to pass through. Accordingly, even in cases wherethe insertion opening is large, a connector can be built in which thethickness of the sealing member is small.

The sealing member for a waterproof connector provided by the presentinvention was described in detail above. However, the present inventionis not limited to this embodiment; it goes without saying that variousmodifications and alterations are possible. For example, the centraloutward-facing projecting rib part 106b may also have a degree offlexibility which makes it possible to press the central inward-facingprojecting rib part 108b against the carrying surface 12. Furthermore,the tip ends of the inward-facing projecting rib parts 108 may also becurved. In addition, since the sealing member 100 is symmetrical, asshown in FIG. 2, this sealing member 100 may be mounted from either theleft or right.

The outward-facing projecting rib parts of the sealing member for awaterproof connector provided by the present invention havesubstantially the same height, and at least the outward-facingprojecting rib parts on both sides are flexible. Furthermore, the heightof the inner inward-facing projecting rib part is lower than the heightof the inward-facing projecting rib parts on both sides. As a result,the sealing member of the present invention possesses the followingmerits:

Specifically, when the connectors are engaged with each other, theresistance from the sealing member is small; accordingly, connectors inwhich the required engaging force is correspondingly small can beobtained. Furthermore, a considerable function which compensates fordeformation and dimensional error in the connector housings is providedso that good waterproof performance can always be maintained. Inaddition, a connector with a high heat resistance can be obtained.Moreover, even in cases where the gap in the sealing area betweenrelative large connectors with numerous poles is the same as in aconventional device, waterproof performance with a sufficient margin canbe obtained. The present invention possesses these and other conspicuousmerits.

I claim:
 1. A sealing member (100) for a connector, the sealing member(100) being formed from an elastic material and comprising at leastthree outward facing projecting ribs (106a, 106b, 106c) and at leastthree inward facing projecting ribs (108a, 108b, 108c) the inward facingprojecting ribs (108a, 108b, 108c) being received against a firstsealing surface of the connector, the outward facing projecting ribs(106a, 106b, 106c) form a seal by making elastic rubbing contact with asecond sealing surface of a mating connector, two outer most outwardfacing projecting ribs (106a, 106c) being flexible, characterized inthat the height of an inner inward facing projecting rib (108b) beinglower than the height of two outer inward facing projecting ribs (108a,108c), and the two outer most inward facing ribs (108a, 108c) beingconfigured to rotate away from the inner inward facing projecting rib(108b) and in a direction toward the second sealing surface when theconnector is mated with the mating connector to urge the inner inwardfacing projecting rib (108b) against the first sealing surface.
 2. Thesealing member of claim 1, wherein the sealing member comprises a frameform shape which was received about the periphery of the sealing surfaceof the connector.
 3. The sealing member of claim 1, wherein the inwardfacing projecting ribs (108a, 108b, 108c), are substantially alignedwith the outward facing projecting ribs (106a, 106b, 106c).
 4. Thesealing member of claim 1, wherein the at least three outward facingprojecting ribs (106a, 106b, 106c) have substantially the same height.5. The sealing member of claim 4, wherein the two outer most outwardfacing projecting ribs (106a, 106c), have incline surfaces (114a, 114c),the incline surfaces being directed towards an inner outward facingprojecting rib (106b).